‘Got it, bozo?’ Glok asked, taking a huge draw on his cigar and tossing it at Cadar.

  Cadar nodded uneasily, backing up against the wall of his office.

  ‘That’s right,’ Glok smiled, patting Cadar on the cheek.

  ‘And one more thing,’ I finished, ‘If I get even a hint of trouble heading towards Victoria Jones, be it a temp dungeon or any of your dickhead guards, we’ll be back here – and we won’t be doing any talking.’

  Chapter 36

  At Home with Sophie and Victoria

  Glok returned to his seal while I took a leisurely walk back to Willow Lane. I met up with Sophie and Victoria at my place, where they eagerly awaited my return in the living room.

  ‘It’s done,’ I said, closing the front door behind me.

  ‘Really?’ Victoria smiled, a shimmering hope lighting up in her eyes. ‘What did you do?’

  ‘Why don’t I let Glok tell you about it?’ I replied, briefly letting him leave his seal.

  ‘You should’ve seen these motherfuckers, Victoria, running for their lives left, right and center. POW! POW! POW! Place looked like a true hit by the time we were done.’

  ‘You killed them?!’ She exclaimed in a brief panic.

  ‘No, we didn’t kill anybody,’ I cut in hastily, ‘we just disarmed them… And injured them a little… Or a lot.’

  ‘Oh, well that’s fine.’

  ‘What it really comes down to is Cadar,’ I spoke, ‘I got him to make a few promises. We just had to speak his language: violence. It was the only thing that got through to him.’

  ‘I guess we’ve just got to hope that it translates to results,’ Sophie said as I returned Glok to his seal.

  ‘Believe me, I think it will.’

  ‘When’s the next meeting?’

  ‘Uhh…’ Victoria checked her watch. ‘11 hours.’

  ‘Then we’d better get some sleep.’

  ‘Do you mind if I crash here?’ Victoria asked.

  ‘I never thought some hardcore lawyer who’s used to threats would be afraid of backlash.’

  ‘Believe me, this is the first time I’ve dealt with threats that became reality, and it’s not because of that. It’s because my house still has that poltergeist smell on the first floor, and I have no idea how to get rid of it.’

  ‘Why didn’t you ask? I’m sure I’ve got something in my Handyman tome that details how to get rid of it.’

  ‘Sorry,’ she shrugged with a sarcastic smile, ‘I’m sure that I’ve been busy lately with a few things.’

  ‘Right,’ I laughed, ‘Uhh – sure, I’ve got plenty of room.’

  ‘Trent has the biggest bed in the freaking world in his master room,’ Sophie said. ‘You can share that – if you’re comfortable with it, of course.’

  Sophie was into the lifestyle, and I was growing my love for more than one woman, but I didn’t know what Victoria would think of it until:

  ‘I’m more than comfortable with it,’ she smiled. ‘Lead the way.’

  Victoria was a closed book, but in my house she looked just as at home as she did in her own house.

  I didn’t know just how comfortable she and Sophie would be around each other until I got upstairs and Sophie immediately started undressing as she crossed to the bathroom.

  Victoria didn’t look phased in the slightest. In fact, she was more interested in admiring Sophie as she casually stripped off.

  It seemed the women around here really were comfortable with each other.

  Sophie smiled at us both before slipping into the bathroom to get a quick shower.

  ‘Nice place,’ Victoria remarked.

  ‘Thanks. Not as nice as yours, I have to admit.’

  ‘I’d take your place over mine right now. Besides, I barely have time to use my house when I’m pulling cases like the one I just finished. That’s the reason it looked so in shape – because I never use it.’

  A few minutes later Sophie emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing but a set of red underwear.

  ‘All yours,’ Sophie smiled, slipping by Victoria and getting into bed while Victoria headed into the bathroom.

  I stripped down to my boxer shorts, tossing the day’s clothes into my wash basket before getting in bed next to Sophie. The stunning blonde snuggled up comfortably next to me in the dim light of the bedroom, running one hand up my chest and flicking on the TV with the remote in her other hand.

  I had to stop myself from letting my mouth fall open when Victoria stepped out of the bathroom wearing an oversized t-shirt that hung over her incredible figure. Her legs were bare all the way to her waist, the slightest hint of black lace showing as she stretched her arms over her head.

  But no matter how oversized her t-shirt was, it did nothing to hide her enormous breasts as they bounced lightly with every single one of her movements, only magnified as she walked across the room practically in slow motion.

  ‘I grabbed this t-shirt of yours,’ she said, pulling at the bottom of it. ‘I hope you don’t mind me borrowing it.’

  ‘Uhh… No, not at all…’

  Her curves were so prominent that it was a struggle to look anywhere else.

  ‘So what are you two watching right now?’ She asked, falling into bed next to me, her enormous chest bouncing lightly on her well-toned frame.

  ‘Sophie’s doing a decent job of introducing me to all of the trash TV that I’ve missed the past couple of years,’ I replied.

  ‘Never been my thing,’ Victoria yawned.

  ‘I’m not planning on watching anything right now,’ Sophie added. ‘Just a little background noise…’

  I dimmed the lights as Sophie snuggled up next to me, pressing her figure to mine.

  Starting a relationship with more than one woman during my time in Emberfall wasn’t exactly on my list, but with the stunning blonde assistant professor on one side and the curvaceous brunette lawyer on my other, each snuggled up to me with their lustrous figures, it was starting to feel like a reality.

  I cared deeply for both of them already, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted Victoria at my side as much as I did Sophie, at least until the threat of Terali Inc. had passed.

  And every night after.

  Chapter 37

  Things Work Fast

  There was nothing concrete to link me and the chaos that had taken place at Cadar’s mansion beyond my hooded presence in the place. My identity was hidden save for my voice to Cadar; if he was there and I spoke, he would know it was me for definite.

  But a part of me wanted him to know. My place in the town of Emberfall was purely anonymous, but when it came to Cadar, I wanted to drip feed him a little knowledge, give him just enough doubt and concern to keep him on the edge of his seat forever once he left the town behind.

  Glok was the only one who couldn’t attend; his voice and appearance was so distinctive that everybody would be able to identify him.

  But as I sat nearby with Javvik’s terrifying form bobbing up and down on the air, his hooded face pointed directly towards the side of Terali Inc, I doubted that a single one of their squad had any doubts about who I was.

  Maybe there wasn’t a single thing to link me to the raid on the mansion, but my sheer presence as a warlock told them.

  These guys didn’t know I was in possession of more than one demon. All they knew was that a warlock had hit them and put them in their place.

  But that didn’t stop me and Javvik from staring down every single of their team from our place on the sidelines.

  Clearing out dungeon floors often had a way of turning the volume down on a lot of the things life threw at a man, and this was one of them. My heartrate barely pushed above 80 the whole time.

  ‘I understand that Terali Inc’s representatives would like to make a statement before the proceedings begin,’ Mayor Crocket spoke.

  But it wasn’t Terali’s representatives from the previous hearing that stepped forward, despite their crowded presence; it was Cadar himself, pushing uneasily past them, looking much more shaken than he had when sat at the back of the hall.

  ‘I, umm…’ He stuttered, ‘Terali Inc would like to withdraw its application to commandeer the land corresponding to these discussions. We would further like to withdraw our business in its entirety from the town of Emberfall.’

  There were few people in attendance in the observation seats, but there could have been a hundred considering the ruckus that followed.

  ‘Emberfall has been a joy to work in and the people have been a great pleasure to meet,’ Cadar continued, keeping his voice above the noise as it ran shakily, ‘but we have decided not to further our business interests here.’

  The mayor took a long, contemplative pause, frowning deeply at Cadar.

  ‘I hope nothing has unnecessarily changed your intentions, Mr. Cadar,’ the judge spoke, ‘Rest assured, Mr. Morelian is here to keep an eye on things. You’ve no need to fear any reprise from anybody present or not present. Speak freely.’

  ‘Yeah,’ I smiled, ‘I’m really nothing to worry about. I’m here for your protection.’

  ‘All the, uhh… All the same,’ Cadar gulped. ‘Terali Inc will be pursuing no further action in the case of development of the land in question.

  I shot Victoria a glance from my seat. Last time I had seen her in court she was stone cold, and had barely shown a hint of her hand, never mind the whole thing.

  This time she was keeping the poker face while she raised a hand to her mouth to hide her beautiful smile as it fought through, though I could still see the hint of her full lips past the edge of her slender fingers.

  ‘Well,’ the mayor frowned, ‘I must say that I’m surprised about this. During our last meeting, you all seemed intent on tearing each other’s throats out in the middle of the town hall foyer; now one side is standing down without the other having changed their argument in the slightest. I would ask what gives, but I doubt that I’ll get a straight answer. On behalf of the council of Emberfall, I hereby declare this dispute dismissed.’

  Mayor Crocket banged his gavel against the block. Victoria pushed to her feet and shook hands with each of the fae farmers as they hugged each other. Terali Inc’s reps looked as if they couldn’t leave fast enough, taking off at the beck and call of Cadar.

  ***

  That afternoon I took the Victoria, Sophie and the farmers out for lunch and ordered up whatever they wanted; beer, burgers, steaks as red as a July sunset, boatloads of fries and everything in between.

  I got more than a couple questions about Javvik that I casually brushed off, but thankfully most of the attention went on Victoria. Every time somebody raised one of the dozen toasts to her over the course of our lunch, another beer came flying my way.

  It was all I could do not to end up getting drunk – with a little sleight of hand, I had to jettison a couple beers along the way.

  I headed out with my second beer for some air as the farmers enjoyed their fifth round, looking out at the pleasant Emberfall town plaza.

  ‘Hey,’ Victoria’s voice turned my attention as she stepped out the door of the bar.

  ‘Hey,’ I smiled, ‘What are you doing out here? You’re the reason that everybody is in there, you know?’

  ‘And you’re the reason that I’m even celebrating in the first place,’ she smiled back.

  Even just a couple of feet away from her, I was starting to feel the same way as I did with Sophie; I wanted her close by, to talk to her, to feel the presence of how good she looked.

  ‘Thank you for this, Trent,’ Victoria smiled, ‘I really couldn’t have done it without you.’

  ‘It was nothing. And I’m not just saying that to make you feel better. It was genuinely nothing. I haven’t had a day’s work that easy – or fun – in a while.’

  ‘Fun?’ She laughed, ‘Raiding a house, throwing around a bunch of guys using powerful magic like they were bags of feathers, intimidating a boss enough to scare him out of town permanently?’ Victoria moved closer to my side, leaning against the wall as she scanned me beneath the shade of the veranda. ‘What did you do before you came here?’

  I turned to look over at Victoria as she rested her head on my shoulder. She turned, her lips brushing lightly over my cheek, and we kissed softly, her full, perfect lips alone sending jolts of excitement through my body.

  ‘I’ve been thinking about doing that ever since I first passed you by when you rocked up on Willow Lane,’ she whispered as our kiss ended. She gently bit her lip as her enormous chest rose and fell with a longing breath.

  ‘That makes two of us.’

  ‘How about you and I go for a run tomorrow?’ She asked. ‘You can tell me all about how you ended up being able to do what you do.’

  ‘I guess I can take some time away from my other duties.’

  ‘Which are?’

  ‘… Actually not a lot, besides finding Surani’s staff and the hoard she stashed with it.

  There’s a good guy who runs the museum, and he’s eager to add anything to the exhibit before it falls completely out of relevancy.’

  Victoria took a beat and squinted her eyes at me analytically.

  ‘What?’ I smiled curiously.

  ‘Let me look into something,’ she spoke, ‘I’ll get back to you when I find it. Maybe nothing, but it might come in useful.’

  ‘You couldn’t have been more cryptic if you tried,’ I laughed.

  ‘I’m a lawyer,’ she smiled, drawing away from me and returning to the door of the bar, ‘It’s my job. Do me a favor?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Get back inside here. I owe you another drink.’

  Chapter 38

  Afternoon Jog

  Another night in bed together with Sophie and Victoria was exactly what I needed after lunch.

  I was used to Sophie’s presence in bed with me now, but that night Victoria drove me even crazier than she had the first night. Just having her there close to me, her incredible curves pressed up to me after our kiss, kept me awake for a while.

  Over the night she snuggled up to me just as close as Sophie and kept herself there.

  The next day we slept in for as long as we wanted, enjoying a late breakfast together alongside my familiars.

  ‘You guys really eat this stuff?’ Victoria asked, wafting her hand in front of her face as I cooked up the Big Heat burgers for them.

  ‘We eat it when Trent is kind enough to make it,’ Glok spoke, taking a drag on his cigar where he sat on the porch.

  ‘Morning barbecues,’ Sophie smiled. ‘Is there anything as good as this?’

  ‘I’m going to say no,’ I smiled, looking around at my companions. I looked over to the tall grass and called out: ‘Surani, you want anything?’

  ‘I’m fine, thank you!’ She shouted back.

  We enjoyed our food, Glok and Javvik returned to their seals, and Sophie moved to take off.

  ‘I’ve got a little work to complete before summer starts,’ Sophie spoke, gathering her things and downing half a cup of coffee, ‘but once it’s completed, I am a free agent for the whole summer. I’ll catch you guys later.’

  ‘Feel like going for that run?’ Victoria asked from behind me, ‘if you can think you can keep up, that is.’

  ‘I’d like that,’ I said. ‘Lately I’ve just been running around the neighborhoods in random patterns. You got anywhere a little more scenic in your roster?’

  ‘I know a spot, but it’s a long way. We’ll have to drive there.’

  ‘We’re driving so we can go running?’

  ‘Pretty much.’

  ‘Somehow this place seems to get more suburban every day that I’m here.’

  ‘Is that a yes?’

  ‘Of course it is.’

  I changed into my running gear and climbed in next to Victoria. She wore an orange variation on the tight running outfit I had seen her wear on plenty of occasions already: the sports bra that struggled on all fronts to contain her abundant chest, the padded running shoes and the tight yoga pants.

  The drive was short, taking a quick road out of town through the hills until the road came to a dead stop among the forest where a largely improvised parking lot with ground of dried dirt resided.

  ‘So where exactly are we going?’ I asked, getting out of the passenger seat.

  ‘On a little-known route. I like spots in the open like this that nobody else knows about.’

  ‘Lead the way.’

  ‘Literally? Like, you want me to stay a few steps ahead of you?’ Victoria set off at a swift walk, working her ridiculously round behind back and forth. The sheer sight of her buxom cheeks inside her tight orange yoga shorts practically had me drooling.

  ‘The view’s pretty good from back here,’ I replied, playing along.

  ‘I’ll bet,’ she smiled. ‘Let’s see what a warlock can do against a lawyer who competes in weekend fun-runs.’

  ‘All right,’ I laughed, ‘You’re on.’

  Victoria set off along the dusty path into the forest, and I followed.

  We jogged between the trees for some times, the forest and fauna growing heavier either side of the path.

  I was used to working up a sweat, but something about the forest among the hills alleviated that a little, even with the heat.

  ‘No break between mobs here,’ Victoria laughed. ‘How’re you doing?’

  ‘Just fine,’ I replied in earnest. ‘Stamina was another thing I never banked on building up on the job, but here we are.’

  ‘So you really know how to take your time, huh?’ She smiled over her shoulder.

  ‘That’s one way to put it.’

  ‘We’re almost there. It’s just around this corner up ahead…’

  We jogged through the wilderness for another hundred yards and turned the corner. I had been so focused on the impressive sight of Victoria that I failed to notice the waterfall awaiting us.

  ‘Woah…’

  ‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’

  ‘Sure is.’

  ‘The higher up you go, the more beautiful it gets.’

  ‘I don’t know, it looks pretty impressive from here.’

 

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